Nellie Grier Sewall

Nellie Grier Sewall passed away on February 25th, 2008 at the Due West Retirement Center in Due West, South Carolina with her family present. Nellie was born in Clover SC on February 9th, 1925 to the Rev. William Pressly Grier and Nellie Bigham Grier. She was the 4th of 5 children: Paul, William "Kit", John Miller, Nellie and Rachel. She was graduated from Erskine College, Due West, SC, in 1942. In 1949, she married John Ladd Sewall; they resided in Newport News, VA for 58 years. A founding member of Hidenwood Presbyterian Church, Nellie attended Women's Circle for years and was elected to be the church's first woman elder. In addition to raising a family, Nellie enjoyed the local Home Demonstration Club and the Garden Club of Virginia; she volunteered at the emergency counseling hotline CONTACT and served as president of the local chapter of the American Association of University Women. After her children were grown, she worked for 12 years as an administrative assistant at for a financial planning firm. She took sailing lessons, tennis lessons and art lessons; she enjoyed being outdoors and slaved over her yard. Her love of fish and seafood is almost legendary. She frequented nearly all of the seafood shops in Hampton and Newport News, as well as the fisherman who sold out of his truck in Hilton Village. The Crab Shack was her favorite restaurant. She is survived by her children, William Grier Sewall, Martha Dudley Sewall and her husband, Thomas Rees, Richard Warren Sewall and his wife, Kathleen Probus, and Jonathan Mark Sewall and his wife, Paula Clemens; eight grandchildren, Griffith Sewall Rees, Shelley Myvanwy Sewall Rees, Jeremy Ladd Sewall, David James Sewall, Michael Warren Sewall, Susanna Katherine Nellie Sewall, David Clemens-Sewall and Mary Versa Clemens-Sewall. A Memorial service will be held at a later date this spring at the Hidenwood Presbyterian Church in Newport News, Va. Online condolences may be sent to the family by visiting www.harrisfuneral.com. HARRIS FUNERAL HOME, Abbeville is assisting the Sewall family.